Harvard W. “Mac” McLean, professor emeritus of teacher education at Miami University, died on March 22, 2016, at McCullough Hyde Hospital in Oxford, Ohio.
Visitation was March 28, 2016, at Ogle & Paul R. Young Funeral Home, Oxford. The funeral service was on March 29, 2016, at Faith Lutheran Church, where he and Elaine had been active members since moving to Oxford. Memorial gifts may be made to the Oxford Community Foundation (www.oxfordfdn.org) or Faith Lutheran Church. Condolences may be sent online to www.oglepaulyoungfuneralhome.com
Born on Jan. 24, 1930, in Osage, Mac was the only child of Robert Wilbur McLean and Gunda Sadie (Klemetsrud) McLean.
Mac served from 1951 to 1955 in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. After his time in the military, Mac received his B.A. from Luther College in 1956, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Kappa Education Honor Society. He earned his M.A. (1958) and his Ph.D. in Education (1964) from The University of Iowa.
He served on the faculty at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., prior to joining the faculty of Miami University’s Department of Teacher Education (EDT) in 1966. Before that, he taught in public schools in Iowa and Arizona. Recognized by his colleagues as a pillar of the EDT, he was appreciated for his wry sense of humor, congenial nature, fairness, integrity, dependability, and willingness to make things work.
His focus on early and middle childhood education, with an emphasis on social studies education, included research on gaming and simulation. He co-authored a book with David L. Killian, Ph.D., How to Construct Individualized Learning Pacs. He was active in several national and state organizations related to social studies and teacher education. A tenured professor, his dedication and optimistic style influenced thousands of students.
After his retirement from Miami in 1992, Mac enjoyed traveling overseas, gardening, and involvement in the Greater Cincinnati Hosta and Daylily Club. Among his various volunteer activities, he served as a dispatcher at the Oxford Senior Citizens Center. He volunteered with the Oxford Museum Association and their Pioneer Farm Apple Butter Festival Days. A passionate and continuous learner, he participated in the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Miami for many years. He passed on his love of words, reading, and music to his children. Mac found satisfaction in writing original works, and had a short poem, “The Garden,” published in Greenprints: The Weeder’s Digest magazine.
He was active with the Kiwanis Club of Oxford for many years, where he was particularly renowned for his pancake flipping skills. An enthusiastic cribbage player, Mac was also a celebrated prankster and punster.
Beloved husband, father, teacher, colleague, and friend, he is survived by his wife of 56 years, Elaine Dianne (Whalin) McLean; and his three daughters, Kari E. McLean of Chicago, Ill., Kristie Dianne McLean Mentch (Richard) of Concord, Ohio, and Heather Kay McLean (Monty Riley) of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Don’t cry because it’s over—smile because it happened.